Stand With Ukraine

Stephen Hoffman

https://ukraineworld.org/en

July 10, 2026

A turning point in the war is still a long way off: Russia aims to create a buffer zone in the north (of the country) and expand its offensive in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, stated Syrskyi.

Here are more key points from the Commander-in-Chief’s summary of the first half of 2026:

• Russia has not abandoned its plans to occupy the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The Russian large-scale offensive did not achieve its objectives, despite having almost double the personnel and equipment.
• The number of active offensive fronts of the Russian Federation has decreased by almost half – from 13 to 6-7.
• The ratio of Ukrainian to Russian offensive actions is currently approximately 40 to 60.
• The Russian army loses, on average, about 32,000 soldiers killed and wounded per month.
• Over six months, 697 targets within Russia have been hit using Deep Strike methods. The economic damage to the enemy is estimated at at least $6.1 billion.
• Within the Middle Strike campaign, 7028 enemy objects have been hit.

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From Ukraine News, Slava Ukraini!

The kremlin just admitted what this war has always been about.

For more than four years, the Kremlin has justified its invasion of Ukraine by claiming it was necessary to “protect Russian speakers,” “de-Nazify” Ukraine, and stop an alleged genocide in Donbas.

But Dmitry Peskov has now said something that deserves far more attention.

Commenting on discussions about NATO helping protect Ukrainian skies, he stated:

“NATO armed forces would be operating on Ukrainian territory. That is precisely what the ‘special military operation’ is intended to counter.”

That is an extraordinary admission.

Not “Nazis.” Not “genocide.” Not “protecting Russian-speaking civilians.”

According to the Kremlin itself, the purpose of the invasion is to prevent NATO’s military presence in Ukraine.

This reinforces what many analysts have argued since 2022: the Kremlin sees Ukraine not as a fully sovereign nation free to choose its own alliances, but as a strategic buffer that must remain outside NATO’s security architecture.

Peskov also acknowledged that the United States continues supplying Ukraine with weapons and military technology, saying Russia has “no rose-colored glasses” about it and that President Putin fully understands this reality.

Yet, in the same interview, he praised the United States for what he described as a sincere desire to achieve peace, contrasting Washington with many European governments. He even expressed hope that, once the United States has dealt with the situation surrounding Iran, it will return its attention to negotiations over Ukraine.

Those remarks become even more interesting when viewed alongside President Trump’s behavior at the NATO summit in Ankara.

Throughout the summit, Trump repeatedly criticized NATO allies and emphasized that his attendance was largely because of his relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğa rather than enthusiasm for the Alliance itself. His rhetoric often appeared more critical of NATO than of Russia.

From the Kremlin’s perspective, that matters.

It helps explain why Peskov distinguishes between the United States under Trump and many European governments. While Russia continues to condemn American military support for Ukraine, it also portrays Washington as a country that remains willing to negotiate and possibly reshape Europe’s security order.

That does not mean Russia and the United States are allies. It does suggest that the Kremlin sees Trump’s more skeptical approach toward NATO as politically different from that of most European leaders—and potentially more favorable to Russian strategic interests.

Taken together, Peskov’s remarks reveal a striking contrast.

For years, the world was told this war was about rescuing Russian speakers from Nazis.

Now, the Kremlin’s own spokesman says the “special military operation” exists to stop NATO’s military presence in Ukraine.

When the official justification shifts from “de-Nazification” to countering NATO, it becomes much harder to argue that the invasion was fundamentally about protecting Russian-speaking civilians.

Sometimes the clearest explanation of a war comes not from its critics—but from those speaking on behalf of the government that started it.

StandWithUkraineInsider

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Kremlin reacts to Trump’s proposals on Patriot production, closing Ukrainian skies

Kyiv Independent

During a press call in Moscow on July 9, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov addressed U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest remarks regarding military support and potential security guarantees for Ukraine.

Commenting on Trump’s proposal to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot air defense systems, Peskov stated that Moscow views the U.S. position as “ambivalent,” noting that Russia is fully aware of continuing American weapon supplies to Kyiv. Video: Kremlin / Telegram.

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